Thinking about Graduate or Professional School?

Good reasons for attending graduate school:

• To learn more about a particular discipline
• To immerse yourself in your interest areas
• To develop your interests into a career
• To enhance your quality of life
• To enhance your job and career satisfaction
• To increase your earning potential
• To increase your opportunities for advancement
• To meet the requirements for your chosen profession

It is essential to spend time considering your specific interests, skills, and values as you focus on your career goals and your decision to attend graduate or professional school.  If possible, visit schools of interest and talk with graduate school advisors, ask questions to help you assess different programs and make comparisons between schools.

Poor reasons for considering graduate school:

• You can’t think of anything else to do
• You want to please your parents, friends, professors, or someone else
• You’re afraid you won’t find a job

Graduate school Web sites:

• MBA Explorer - Run by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).
• Peterson's Education Center - The ultimate graduate school information center!
• Princeton Review Home Page - Register, then on your next visit, click on "Review.com". For those just beginning to explore grad school options. Includes financial aid advice.
• U. S. News and World Report - Get rankings for the top schools in a variety of disciplines.
• Yahoo's Law School listings
• Yahoo's Medical School listings
• Yahoo's International listings - Just click on the country that interests you.
• StudentRecruiter.com - Helpful information about top online and local schools.

Application advice:

• Accepted.Com - Great site for personal essays and tips for admission to graduate and professional schools.
• Applicant Support Network - Information on applications and personal essays.
• Guide to Requesting Letters of Recommendation - Information on asking faculty and employers for recommendations.
• GradSchools.com - Very comprehensive graduate school search site.

Graduate school admissions tests:

• ETS Web site - The ultimate Web site for all information on GREs, GMATs, LSATs, and PRAXIS.
• GRE Web site - The Web site for those taking the GREs.  Telephone: 1-800-GRE-CALL.
• LSAT Web site - The Web site for those taking the LSAT.  Telephone: 215-968-1001.
• GMAT Web site  - The Web site for those taking the GMAT.  Telephone: 1-800-GMAT-NOW.
• MCAT Web site - The Web site for those taking the MCAT.  Telephone: 319-337-1357.
• Miller Analogies Test Web site - View candidate information booklet and test locations.  Telephone: 1-800-622-3231.
• Test Prep Review - Sample tests for more than 20 entrance exams.

Financial aid Web sites:

• Council of Graduate Schools - Financial aid and fellowship links.
• FAFSA - Federal application for financial aid online.
• Financial Aid - The Financial Aid Information Page which provides a free, comprehensive, independent, and objective guide to student financial aid.

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